


Mousetrap

by NamelesslyNightlock, Rabentochter



Series: This Was A Bad Idea (but we know what we're doing) [16]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Desperation, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Frustration, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, Kissing, Loki (Marvel) Is Not Good At Feelings, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Loki (Marvel), Pining, Romantic Fluff, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 22:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22000789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/pseuds/Rabentochter
Summary: Every time Tony tries to tell Loki how he feels, Loki runs away. And look, Tony’s a pretty persistent person but everyone has alimit– and it might be time to try something a little more drastic.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: This Was A Bad Idea (but we know what we're doing) [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1388356
Comments: 37
Kudos: 374





	Mousetrap

**Author's Note:**

> Congrats you poor souls, this is Rabentochter's 100th FI fic 😌  
>   
> Art by **Rabentochter** , fic by **NamelesslyNightlock**.

There’re a lot of things about Loki that Tony likes.

He likes the way that Loki doesn’t take any shit, not from the Avengers, not from the government or the public or Asgard or _anyone._ He likes the way that Loki always seems interested in Tony’s projects, and he likes the way that Loki’s whole expression lights up when Tony is interested in his. He _loves_ the way that Loki challenges every thought, and yet still listens to a reasonable argument.

And he – normally – loves the way that Loki is never sitting still, always on the move. Most people didn’t like that sort of thing, Tony knew that very well– but when it came to the pair of them, it just meant that they fit together so perfectly, both of them moving around _together,_ neither one of them holding the other back.

But when it meant that Loki kept on _running away_ whenever he got even the _slightest_ scent of an emotion… yeah. Tony wasn’t so keen on Loki’s flightiness then.

And you know what? Tony hated using that term. _Running away_. He hated it, because he knew that was what Loki had been accused of doing so very often when he was younger, when he lived on Asgard and none of those muscle-brained bastards had appreciated Loki’s seiðr for the fucking gift that it was.

But. For the love of god. _Running_ was abso-fucking-lutely what Loki was doing.

They spent a lot of time together, you know? Tony loved being in Loki’s company, and he knew – of course he freaking _knew_ , it wasn’t like Loki was being subtle – that Loki loved spending time with him as well. They would laugh, they would argue, they would challenge each other to the point of gnashing teeth and bright eyes, flushed skin and brushing hands, soft smiles and tilted heads as they leaned in close—

And then Loki.

Would _run away._

Sometimes, he’d do it with a flinch and a tactical retreat, pulling back and muttering that Thor had need of him or that there was some other obviously fictional task that needed to be attended to.

Sometimes, it would be even _less_ subtle than that, with Loki vanishing in a shimmer of green half a second before their lips were due to touch.

Regardless of how he did it, the outcome was always the same.

Loki would run away.

And Tony would be left standing in the middle of the workshop, the penthouse, the gym, the _kitchen_ with empty hands and cold skin—

Only for Loki to greet Tony brightly the next time they saw each other, happy and _friendly_ as if the twenty-something almost kisses had never ever happened.

Every.

Fucking.

_Time._

And yeah, Tony had _tried_ to be sneaky about it. He’d tried manoeuvring the conversation so that he could have the chance to tell Loki how amazing he was. He’d tried compliments, he’d tried flattery, he’d tried outright saying that Loki was the best person he knew, the most _important person_ in his life, and…

Well, then it wasn’t just the kisses that started making him run away anymore. It seemed that anything which even began to hint that Tony wanted more than just friendship would cause Loki to flee.

And, if it had seemed like the reason was because Loki didn’t want that, then Tony would have just left it. He might be an asshole at times, but he wasn’t _that_ kind of an asshole. But… Tony knew Loki. He knew him better than he knew himself, and even though he’d never seen Loki react this way to anyone else he _knew_ he wasn’t misinterpreting those soft smiles when he thought Tony couldn’t see, the fond glances from across a room when he thought Tony was focused on someone else, the way that Loki’s fingers would linger on his skin when he thought Tony was lost in… well. In _thought._ To say nothing of the way that Loki kept leaning in when Tony did, his gaze flicking to Tony’s lips, his breathing going just a little shallow as his eyes fluttered closed—

Only, of course, for him to then disappear in a shimmer of green. Green that, _yes_ , Tony had always loved because Loki’s seiðr was a part of him but _goddamn_ was it starting to get on his nerves.

So, _yes,_ Tony kept on trying. He once even tried to yell at Loki the moment that he’d stepped into the workshop, but he hadn’t even made it past—

“Loki, for fuck’s sake will you get over here and _kiss_ —”

—before Loki was _gone._ Because. Of course he was.

But you know what?

This time.

_This. Fucking. Time._

Things were going to be different.

Because Tony was done with subtle and sneaky, and he was done trying to play by Loki’s rules. It was clear as day that Loki liked him back, clear as fucking _crystal_. There must have been something else holding him back, some other reason why he didn’t want to be with Tony.

It was during one of Steve’s frustrating ‘team bonding nights’ that Tony had his lightbulb moment.

He had been on the couch beside Natasha, the pair of them picking out errors in the movie that they were watching and giggling at the terribly overdone action scenes. But despite the fact that he was talking to Natasha – and ignoring Clint’s increasingly frequent shushes – that didn’t mean that he was unaware of the way that Loki was watching him. The others were oblivious, he thought– because… well, okay, so maybe Loki _could_ be subtle, but. Tony had spent _months_ gazing at that face, and he knew every minute detail, every twitch and every crease.

And he knew that Loki didn’t just look like he was longing. He looked like he was _wistful,_ like he thought he was pining after something that he could never have. It was a look Tony recognised, because it wasn’t far off the way that Loki had looked when he had told Tony about aspects of his childhood, such as the way that he used to spend time in his mother’s gardens to practice his magic– a place that he would never be able to visit again. Yeah, it wasn’t far off at all… but it seemed almost _stronger_ , as if this was somehow paining him more, as if he _wanted it more,_ but didn’t think that he had even the slightest chance.

Did he… did he think that Tony didn’t like him back?

Or, perhaps he thought that Tony didn’t want quite the same as he did?

Well, Tony supposed he did have a bit of a reputation, but. Loki was different. _This_ was _different._

But it seemed that there was no way he could make Loki see that, because every time he tried Loki ran away and then just continued to pretend that everything in their friendship was perfectly fine and dandy. As if they weren’t both tearing apart inside because they wanted each other more than anything.

But short of tying Loki’s shoelaces together so that he would trip and fall the next time he tried to back away, Tony thought he’d tried _everything_. And. Loki didn’t even _wear_ shoelaces. Perhaps he should go for something a little more hardcore. Perhaps he could find a way to wrangle Loki into a straitjacket and then chain him to a chair. Not even in the fun way, just… so that he could try and get Loki to _sit still_ long enough to _listen_ to a single word out of Tony’s mouth.

Tony sighed, causing Natasha to look at him a little oddly. Their conversation petered off, and Nat turned to tease Clint a little more directly– but Tony’s mind was still whirring.

Because, obviously, the problem with the straitjacket plan – other than the fact that Tony didn’t have a straitjacket – was that Loki would never sit still long enough to get it on him in the first place. Not to mention that, even if my some miracle Tony _could_ manage to get him into one, Loki would just magic his way out of it.

Well. So, this was just clear proof that the entire situation was turning Tony insane.

Straitjackets.

_Honestly._

The thought wasn’t… even…

Hang on—

Tony didn’t have a straitjacket, and there wasn’t one in the world that would be able to hold Loki.

_But._

Maybe… Tony had something that _might_.

And that, uh.

That was what found Tony waiting in the workshop the next day, his hands almost trembling with anticipation as he pretended to work on… _something_ , just. Waiting, to put his plan into place.

 _Waiting_.

Because of course this was the one time Loki decided to drag his feet.

“J, where is he?” Tony whispered– despite the fact that he and the bots were the only ones in the workshop.

“In the kitchen, Sir,” JARVIS said. “He is making tea, I believe, and he is holding a book. He is likely to be a while.”

Tony chewed on his lower lip. “When was the last time I ate?”

“Approximately five hours ago, Sir.”

“Oh. Uh. That’s not that bad, is it?”

“For an ordinary person, it is not. For you, Sir, it is exemplary.”

Tony groaned. “Is there any chance you could embellish that a little?”

“You wish for me to lie to the God of Lies?”

“Yes,” Tony said, snapping his fingers. “A white lie. It’s for a good cause. Don’t worry JARVIS, what we’re going to do when he gets down here will make him far more upset than just a little white lie.”

Tony could _hear_ the exasperation that drenched the following moment of silence.

“It’s okay,” Tony insisted. “He’ll thank us later. I hope.”

“You are instilling me with confidence, Sir.”

“Oh, good. Get to it then, JARVIS.”

After that, it only took Loki about five minutes to get down to the workshop, a scowl on his face and a sandwich in hand—

And then a mass of red and gold exploded out of the wall like a _bullet_ , flying at Loki with enough speed that even _he_ had no hope of avoiding it or throwing up a shield—

The sandwich and the mug of tea went flying, smashing against the ground—

And by the time the sound of the shattering ceramic had faded, Loki was encased in an Iron Man suit from his neck to his toes, wearing an expression that could only be described as…

Actually, no.

Loki didn’t look angry.

He just looked _confused._

He was staring down at the suit with wide eyes, his lips parting in surprise, his face a picture of such complete _befuddlement_ that Tony could only hope that JARVIS was recording absolutely everything—

Except, of course. This might just turn out to be incredibly painful, so. Maybe Tony wouldn’t want to watch it ever again.

But then, maybe he _would._ No harm in being optimistic, right?

The look on Loki’s face had almost been enough to make Tony forget what he was supposed to do for half a second, but when it came crashing back… well.

Things couldn’t get any worse, right?

At least this way, he would _know._

So he straightened his spine as he stood out of the chair, steeling himself to lay his heart bare.

“Anthony?” Loki asked, still sounding confused, his voice soft and bewildered. “Why…”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said, even though Loki – unexpectedly – still did not look angry. “But I need to say something to you, and I want to be able to say _all_ of it. Without you running away.”

And still– Loki’s reaction wasn’t what Tony had expected. He had been so sure that Loki would attempt to use his seiðr to get out of the suit, that Tony was going to have to lie and say that he would never forgive him if he broke the armour to stop him from doing so.

But… Loki didn’t even try.

There wasn’t a single indication that he was attempting to escape. He was just kind of… staring, his expression still open and vulnerable in a way that actually gave Tony just a little bit of hope.

It certainly gave him the courage to keep moving, to step closer until he was only a couple of yards away, his arms crossing over his chest as he met Loki’s gaze.

“Okay,” Tony said. “Just… just let me say my piece, all right? Because, I’ve wanted to say this for quite a long time, but you just keep _leaving_ , and, I need to get it out.”

Loki just continued staring, his lips pulled into something that was _almost_ a smile– either finally deciding to hear him out, or just accepting his fate. And this… this was what Tony had wanted for so very long, this was what he had been _waiting for_.

And yet…

Now that the moment was here, now that he finally had the chance to tell Loki how he felt, he wasn’t entirely certain that he was going to be able to do his feelings justice.

But all he could do was try.

“Lokes,” he started, thinking that was the only place he _could_ start. “I’ve already told you before that you’re important to me, but I’m not sure you realise just how _much._ I’ve cherished every moment I’ve spent with you, and I– fuck, I just wish that they were longer. That those moments wouldn’t end, because I want to spend _every_ moment with you. Well. Maybe not every moment, that might be impractical, but—” He cut himself off and cleared his throat, trying not to read too much into the way that Loki had stopped smiling. “Well, I, words have never really been my thing, have they? You’re the one with the silvertongue, and I’m just… perhaps this is why you kept leaving. You knew I’d run my mouth, and thought you’d rather avoid that.” Tony ran a hand through his hair, but before he could continue—

“Anthony,” Loki whispered, his voice softer than Tony thought it would be. “Tell me plainly. What are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say that every time you pulled away from me, it felt like you were taking a piece of my heart with you,” Tony said bluntly. “Every time I wanted to kiss you, every time you _flinched_ – it felt like something was breaking. I’d worry that you weren’t going to come back, but… when you did, it was like… you didn’t even know, or didn’t care about the cracks that you’d split through me. As if this was a game, or something—”

Loki almost _whined_ at that, but Tony shook his head.

“That didn’t last long, don’t worry. I think I worked it out, because you kept on coming back. And you look at me… I think, the same way that I look at you. As if… maybe, you like me, too.”

Loki let out a breath– and if he weren’t being held immobile by the suit, it seemed like he might have been shifting. “You like me?” he breathed.

“Like you?” Tony barked an incredulous laugh, and shook his head once. “I’m fucking in love with you, I have been for a while. And, look. I understand if you don’t love me back. I understand if you just, kept getting caught in the moment. Over and over. I understand if you don’t want to get close to someone with a lifespan that’s not even a tenth of yours. But… I just needed you to know the truth, plain and clear, so that _I_ know I’ve done everything I could have. So that I can look back on this without any what ifs.”

Tony only realised that he’d moved forward when Loki sighed, the movement of his lips drawing Tony’s gaze away from the green of Loki’s eyes. He cleared his throat, and continued.

“Loki, I’ve been trying to tell you how I feel for months, trying to tell you that there isn’t a second of the day when I don’t wish that I could kiss you, or that I could hold your hand. Every time you smile it makes me want to make you smile again.” He sifted a little closer, unable to help himself, drawn in by the way that Loki’s eyes were glowing with what could only be wonder. “I don’t want to just be your _friend,”_ he continued. “I don’t just want to greet you in the kitchen in the morning, I want to wake up in your arms. And…”

Loki lowered his chin, and Tony leaned so close that their noses brushed.

“I want to be able to show you how much I love you,” Tony breathed as he tilted his head. “ _Without_ you running away.”

Their lips were so close now that Tony could feel Loki’s cool breath on his skin, his heart hammering hard enough that it was making his chest ache. He wanted nothing more than to touch his lips to Loki’s, to draw him into that sweet kiss that he had yearned so very long to feel—

But, he… couldn’t.

Not when Loki was trussed up in a suit. Not when Loki had no other option.

Tony sighed, and this time? _He_ was the one who took a step back.

“But if you want to go, then… go ahead.” Every word was a blade to his heart, but he kept going anyway. Because this _had_ to be Loki’s choice. Tony wouldn’t accept anything else. “I’m not going to stop you. Not now that I know you know how I feel.”

Tony didn’t have to a give a signal– JARVIS knew exactly what it was that Tony needed. Just a moment later, the suit opened—

And then Loki practically _surged_ forward, his movement as swift and as smooth as a fall as he threw his arms around Tony’s shoulders and crashed their lips together in a kiss that seemed to hold all the intensity of the more than twenty _almosts_.

Tony groaned against Loki’s mouth and clutched him closer, kissing Loki back as if he were the air that Tony needed to breathe. It was sloppy, messy, almost awkward in their desperation but– Tony couldn’t get enough, his fingers burying into Loki’s hair, their lips and tongues and teeth and hands taking and _giving_ everything that they’d wanted, everything they’d denied themselves for what felt like forever.

And when Tony pulled back with a gasp, his breaths broken pants and his cheeks flushed with warmth, he found himself feeling a little hazy with the intense happiness that was rolling through him. Loki’s eyes were bright but his smile was brighter, and his arms remained where they had come to rest around Tony’s waist as he whispered the best words that Tony had ever heard.

“Anthony,” he said. “I never thought, I never imagined– I thought that you wished for only a physical relationship, and I knew that would not be enough, that it would hurt me more than being your friend. Because I love you too, more than anything– and I would like to be with you, in _every_ way. As long as that is what you wish as well.”

Tony swallowed, feeling a little choked. “Lokes…” he whispered– and then, at a loss for something else to say, as if he had used up his quota for words earlier– he leaned forward to press his forehead to Loki’s, holding him in a close embrace and wishing that he would never have to let go.

But.

There was a question that he wanted an answer to, something that was itching at his mind and refusing to surrender, no matter how much Tony wanted to stay in the peaceful moment.

He opened his eyes, and caught Loki’s gaze. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

Loki tilted his head curiously.

“Why didn’t you try to get out of the suit? I was honestly half expecting that my plan wouldn’t work and you’d be gone right away, but… you didn’t. You stayed, for the first time. Why did you stay? Did I do something different?”

Loki opened his mouth– and then he closed it, a faint pink blush creeping up his neck.

“Loki?” Tony prompted, far too intrigued now.

“On Asgard,” Loki started, his voice actually hesitant. “It is… something of a tradition, for couples to clothe each other in their colours, to show long lasting commitment, loyalty, and love. It is something only done when people are sure of their affections, when they are deeply _sure_ that they have made their final choice.”

“Oh,” Tony replied, glancing over to the still open red and gold suit. “So I, kind of, basically just—”

“It was enough of a surprise to stop me from leaving immediately,” Loki cut in, his cheeks flushing darker. “By the time I remembered that you would not know the significance, you were already saying enough to make me hope. And I _am_ sorry, Anthony. For… misunderstanding.”

“Nothing to forgive. And, well, I would apologise for locking you in the suit but it seems like you enjoyed it,” Tony grinned. (Take that, JARVIS.) “So… I guess you wouldn’t mind if I caught you in there again?”

Loki smiled at that, and leaned down. “You will not have to.”

Their second kiss was soft, sweet, _slow_ – the kind of kiss that Tony had always imagined would be their first. And when they pulled away, he felt little dazed.

Which… probably explained his next words.

“Wow,” he said. “If this is what I get for letting you out of the suit, what’s the prize for unzipping you out of this leather?”

Loki’s lips curved up into a smirk– and it was like they were friends again, like they were slipping back into their banter—

Except this time, it was different. Because this time? Loki’s arms stayed around his waist, and he leaned down to brush his lips over the shell of Tony’s ear as he replied.

“There is something that you are going to learn, if we are to be lovers,” he whispered, his voice low enough that it made Tony shiver. “Something that, as you begin to peel the leather from my skin, you will come to know intimately… and that is that my clothes do _not_ have _zips.”_

Tony might have snorted at that– but Loki just grinned.

“Well, they should,” Tony said. “Efficiency, you know—”

“Why would you want efficiency?” Loki asked– and a hand slid under Tony’s shirt as he said it, which was unfair _–_ but god _damn_ , the feeling of Loki’s hand on his bare skin felt _good_. “When taking your time to peel away every layer could bring us both so much more pleasure?”

“Are you going to disappear if I take my time?” Tony asked. And he’d leaned in as he’d said it, meaning the question be light-hearted– but Loki paused. And when he answered, his words were full of truth.

“No,” Loki swore. “I believe that I am _exactly_ where I want to be.”

And when their lips came together and they shared their third kiss– it wasn’t desperate, and it wasn’t sweet—

It was a perfect mix of affection and passion, soft touches and fierce need. Loki was smiling with every press of his lips, and Tony?

He had captured the heart of the love of his life, and he felt like he couldn’t be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find the art for this fic on tumblr [here.](https://rabentochter.tumblr.com/post/189916635819/mousetrap-collab-with-quietlyapocalyptic)


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